Project log - 31st October

On Monday I had started my filming and had got the introduction to the song done. I was planning on continuing today but due to a set back on one of my actors life, I couldn't film as I had planned. As this has not set me back a whole day and has impacted on the stage of which I am at, I am going to carry out two afternoon sessions after school when we return back to school after half term. This way I will be able to catch up on the work which I had missed out on, and I will be able to film a lot more. I have gathered some footage from the previous day, but I would like to extend that and capture more of which I am able to get further into the video.

Project log - 28th October

Today I spent the day with Callum and Sophia. I started filming for my music video and have got the introduction of the song done. I am meeting them again on Thursday so that I can carry on and get more shots from different angles etc. I want to have another 30 seconds to one minute done by the end of Thursday, it doesn't seem like a long time but it means that I can vary the shots and angles I use. 

Project log - 23rd October 2013

I have been constantly organising when I am going to film most of my music video and how long it is going to take me. I want it to be during the half term so that I have a lot of time to get everything sorted and get my actress sorted and prepared for her performance. During the half term I am planning on completing the majority of my music video. I have come up with some new ideas of how I want my video to be. I have come up with a new structure to it and the different shots I will include.

After talking to my teacher previously today, I was quite unsure on my plan of what I wanted to actually include and how I was going to make sure I made my time worth while. After discussing this, I asked a friend, Callum, if he would be in my video to play the male in the video, highlighting the narrative of the video, as the performance is mainly done by Sophia. Following on from this, I continued with my research and have gathered new ideas which I intend to carry out in half term with both Sophia and Callum.

Photographs of location

This is the studio that I recorded my soundtrack in. It is also an area where I am going to show my music video, especially in the opening 30 seconds. It is a main location for me as I want my audience to feel involved in the music video and feel the relationship/connection between themselves and Sophia.

Sophia West voki

Project log - 17th October 2013

In todays lesson, I have focused on going through my blog and looking at what I need to do and what can be improved on. I think that since last lesson, I have developed my ideas through looking at other music videos to give me inspiration. A youtube artist called 'Hobbie Stuart' sings the sort of songs which I have chosen to focus on, and therefore, I have watched his videos to get inspiration.
One of the ones that I found really helpful was the 'we cant stop' remix he did. The video was so natural looking and is very much a flowing piece of music. Much like mine, it is focused on the main actor which is himself. Also, very similarly, he includes both internal and external shots, which I intend to do to get the audience familiar with the actress.

Audience Research

 

As a fellow media A2 student, I asked Rag'e Ali to participate in some audience research for me. I wanted to get feedback on my storyboards, and what he thought of my plans overall as I wanted to go ahead and film. I thought it was important for him to tell me what he thinks is going to be successful and what would be slightly weaker. The constructive critism helped me a lot when I started to film, it helped me to make decisions on what the intended audience would prefer. Some changes I have made from this is the use of outside shots aswell as indoor.

Prop list

 

These are all of the props which I am planning on using in my music video. I am using all of these to make my music video have the extra features which are going to stand out, and help fufill with the story line. I think it is important for me to have all of the props as I will be able to make it more interesting to watch, and it will create storylines for the audience.

Project log - 10th October 2013

Existing music labels

Analysis of previous A2 student's work

This is Tara Caple's work, the song 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls. I love this video purely because of all of the aspects which could of been risky, have gone exactly how she would of wanted it to go.

I believe this video is so successful in the ways in which she has planned this out because she has thought about her locations specifically and how the busy environment can reflect on the busy song and atmosphere/personalities that the girls are meant to be bringing to the song. Parts such as the dancing around people show that she has gone the extra bit to get people who study drama, meaning they will not be shy when performing in the video. As they aren't holding back, I strongly believe it has been a beneficial factor for Tara as it looks a lot more professional and makes the audience of it a lot more comfortable to watch. If she had not of used girls who were comfortable and outgoing as these girls are, I do not think the video would of had the same affect on me as to which it did. 

The success here lies with the editing as well as the planning. A lot of shots have been used such as mid shots, close ups (lips), long shots and wide shots to establish the surroundings. How Tara has edited the different shots together here is something I really like and how it all looks professional. The smooth running of the fading through of shots highlights and reflects the mood of the song, and how it is a upbeat but not a sharp cut of the shots. A weaker area of which Tara may have had difficulties with is the timings of the singing. The video wasn't synced with the sound track, and therefore I believe this is a weaker area, however, because the lyrics were fast, I didn't feel like it was a massively noticeable aspect.

From viewing this video, it has most definitely made me consider how I am going to need professional, motivated and outgoing actresses/actors for my video to get the same look of professional outcome as Tara has done.

Audience feedback

After my presentation in front of my class and teacher, I got them to fill out a questionnaire so that I could make a judgement on my future plans for my music video, and what my demographic audience would want. These are the results which I gathered.

• 6 out of 6 said to use studio shots as well as outdoor
• 5 out of 6 said I should use green screen in my video
• 5 out of 6 said they prefer the longer version of my recording than the shorter

When asked what clothing my actress should wear, some feedback I got was:
"Casual girl next door type"
"Skinny jeans, baggy top/jumper"
"Flowy, floral, girly, dresses"
"Big jumpers over dresses"

• 6 out of 6 said my initial storyboard ideas were strong

As I have got such positive feedback in my 'progress presentation', I am planning to continue with the work that I have started and am going to persevere with my initial ideas, building them up to be more successful and how it can benefit the overall look to my music video.

Some constructive feedback which I got was to make sure I equal out the outdoor shots to the studio shots. This is something I have taken on board so that when I am recording, I remember what my demographic would want to see. 

Storyboards

These are my initial ideas of my music video. When I started planning for my video, I thought I would make it very much focused on Sophia, as seen in the storyboards. I have changed these since I first drew these and planned them out.

Second plan of intro

Styling ideas - makeup

This makeup tutorial helped me get a rough idea of what I wanted my actress to look like. I wanted her to have the striking look about her, which entices the viewers to look at her and fid out more about her.

Raw footage

Images of location

Studio recordings

Secret Gardens - Eastcote

Ruislip Woods

Secret Gardens - Eastcote

Hyde park - London

Permission

Essentials for my music video

Risk Assessment

I have planned out all the risks which could happen whilst filming, and also how I could over come this problem. It is important for me to realise the different things which could happen, so that I have knowledge of how to minimise this risk.

My progress presentation

Equipment

Filming Schedule

Project log - 1st October

Project log - 1st October